Kami's Warning
by The Mother Rose
Summary: Another alternate beginning to Naruto's early years. In this story Naruto is a ten year old boy unable to protect himself from the actions of the villagers and with little or no supporters in the village. Rated M for a mature scene


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**Author Note: Another one-shot dredged up from the corner of my mind while I was trying to write the messed up story of Senji the Story-teller. I hope this one is enjoyable for you all. Remember please review with helpful advice to allow me to grow as a writer. **

**Disclaimer: Once again Rose does not have a bevy of maids yet so she doesn't own Naruto in any way shape or form.**

** Kami's Warning**

A golden haired boy walked slowly down the dusty street with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his too large orange pants. The reason his hands were stuffed into his pockets was to hold them up enough to keep the length of the legs from tripping him as he walked and to hold them against his waist. His blue eyes peered at the street but he also kept a close watch on the allies as he passed them. Ten years of experience had taught him it only took a second for him to be overwhelmed. Daytime was usually safest for him to be out and about but even though the sun blazed overhead he knew he was anything but safe. 

He sauntered past the park where the good kids were busy playing. He was especially watchful here. He knew that if he so much as caught the eye of one of the good kids he'd have a mob he wouldn't be able to escape after him. So moving as quietly as he could he ran past. He almost made it but at the last second the toe of his too big sandal caught on a rock and tripped him up. He went down with a loud umph that everyone, child and parent alike, in the park heard. In the time it took for him to get back on his feet the chase was on and he was running for his life.

He didn't know why they chased him and at this moment in time he didn't care. All he knew was to run. As fast as he could and as far as he could. Direction didn't even matter so long as the road ahead was open. The crowd was gaining on him and he knew it was just a matter of time before they caught him but maybe he could make the non-ninja ones drop out if he ran far enough so he kept going.

Then it was over. A ninja popped up in front of him and one to each side, he was trapped.

He stood as tall as he could knowing there was nothing he could do. The rest of the ninja in the mob closed around his position taunting him, trying to goad him into fighting but he just retreated inside himself. He closed his senses down and curled into a ball in his mind trusting his body to let him know when it was over.

The ninja found little satisfaction in beating him up when he wouldn't fight back like they wanted him to. They had honed their bodies and their skills to be able to finally claim vengeance for the loved ones they had lost that day but the Kyuubi brat always denied them a fair fight. It made them angrier and they each vowed that the day would come when he would die anyway whether he granted them their honor or not. Honor was important to these ninja who beat on an untrained child who was not now nor ever would be a ninja. They left him battered and bruised in the dusty street where they had surrounded him and moved back to what they'd been doing before they caught sight of him running from the mob of angry parents.

Somehow knowing the beating was over the child assessed the damage and found both his legs were broke as well as several ribs and his right hand didn't seem to want to work anymore. He guessed he would have to go to the hospital place again even though he doubted it would do any good. Last four times he had gone there they refused to help him and he had left in worse shape then he gone in. Yet somehow when he went there the problem he went there for somehow got taken care of. But was he hurt bad enough to risk it this time, he wondered.

Jijii would say he was. Probably Iruka would also but he didn't know. Both Jijii and Iruka got treated nice by the people there. They weren't bad people like he was. Even though Jijii said he wasn't a bad person, that he was actually one of the best people he knew, the Kyuubi brat didn't believe him. Iruka said the same thing but the boy with the golden hair and sky blue eyes couldn't accept that. If he was such a good person then why did everyone hate him? No he had to have been a very bad person in his life before this life. Only thing he wanted to know was how come his time on the wheel had come around again so fast that there were actually still people alive who knew that past person he had been? That wasn't supposed to happen if he understood the rebirth stuff right. It didn't matter though. He knew he had to pay this debt for whatever he had done so he took the medicine the people dished out and hoped it'd be enough to grant him a better life next time around. Though he doubted he'd remember how much it was hurting in this life to change anything next time, since he didn't remember what it was he'd done last time out. All he really knew is that book he'd read said those that led bad lives on one turning, doing bad things to others, got to live painful lives the next time and depending on how bad they were maybe in the life after that one also until their debt was paid off. Judging by the way people here hated him he'd say this was his first life of atonement. And that made him a very bad person. 

While he'd been thinking he'd drug himself to the side of the road using his one good hand and bracing his battered body as best he could. A carter came trundling down the road and seeing him against the side directed his ox to where he lay. He led the ox right over the boy and if his legs hadn't already been broken then the cloven hooves of the ox would have done the trick. As it was between the ox and the cart wheels the bones in his thighs turned to dust and he blacked out from the pain.

Several hours later he woke to find himself in his apartment on his broken down bed. Jijii had gotten him the apartment when the Home manager refused to let him stay there anymore. He wasn't sure but thought he must have been two or three then but he'd been on his own ever since. It was at about that time that he'd met Iruka. Jijii had Iruka come to fix his food and teach him to cook and clean. Iruka did his laundry and bought his groceries since he wasn't allowed to have money or go into any stores for any reason. This included the laundry places. 

It had taken a long time before Iruka would talk to him but he didn't mind. He was used to the silence. The only person who had ever talked to him was Jijii and that was just to tell him lies by telling him what a good boy he was. Other than that the only words ever directed to him were ones he preferred not to hear anyway. Anyway about six months after he'd been assigned the job of teaching him to cook and clean his home Iruka finally asked him a question and it broke the ice between them. Now Iruka watched over him as best he could giving him a safe place to be on days when the academy wasn't in session or he wasn't out of the village on assignment.

He lay there on his bed waiting for the attack he knew would come once those angry parents from this afternoon thought he would be asleep. Every time he got chased by a mob, if he lost them, whoever didn't catch him would break into his apartment and beat the crap out of him then. Sometimes they'd do worse but he couldn't stop them so he just dealt with it as best he could figuring what didn't kill him he had to endure and death really wouldn't be such a bad thing if only he was sure this life cycle would pay for his last one.

Finally he heard noise in his outer room and he couldn't contain the small whimper of distress. He knew he was still hurt from the events of the afternoon and there was a very real possibility that this time whoever it was would succeed in killing him. He clamped his mouth closed as tight as he could to keep from making any other noise but it was too late. His bedroom door was opening and he braced for the pain.

"Naruto, you're awake finally," breathed Iruka. "We were getting worried."

"Iruka," the boy breathed relaxing. "Did you bring me home?"

"Yes, the Hokage saw the carter run you over in his little ball and sent me to go get you. I told him you needed a doctor but none of them would come. So he threatened to remove their licence if one of them didn't comply."

"So that's why my legs feel so heavy."

"Yes the medic that finally showed up put casts on both of your legs and I will be staying here until they come off. No one will attack you until you are able to run again."

"Well, I guess that's good news but you shouldn't put yourself in danger for me Iruka. One day Kami will decide I've done enough and she'll release me to my next turn on the wheel. But you've done nothing yet that you should condemn your own next turn by befriending me now."

"Naruto, I won't listen to that from you. You're a good kid. You've done nothing to deserve this treatment and we both know it."

"No Iruka. If I were a good person none of this would be happening. The good people wouldn't call me a demon, or monster or chase me out of places. I'd have a mother, a father maybe a brother or sister or both, but most important I'd have friends, people who cared if I got hurt. Good people have those things. I don't so therefore I am not good. I'm bad. Very bad and all I can do is atone and hope I do it well enough to please Kami so that I won't have to do it again." Naruto drifted off to sleep never seeing how upset his words made not only Iruka but also the old man standing in the doorway to his bedroom.

"Hokage-sama. How do I make him understand this isn't his fault? How can I help him?" Iruka had tears in his eyes that he struggled to hold back.

"A child that pure isn't long for this world Iruka. We're going to lose him soon but when we do I have a feeling something miraculous will happen. He is right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"Kami doesn't make us suffer needlessly. All his pain will be made clear. I don't think he was a bad person in his last life. If he had been he wouldn't be such a good person in this one. The council is spitting nails every time they get an incident report involving him because they can't haul him in for punishment. They really want to be able to punish him but they can't because he refuses to strike back and after the last time he tried to leave the village he won't even go near the wall or hang out near the academy watching as the students practice to become ninjas."

"Yeah I'm glad I told him what would happen if they caught him near the academy no matter what his reason was in coming there."

"He really didn't need all those rules placed on him but I couldn't stop them. It was either those rules or let Danzo have him to make into a weapon of mass destruction or let the council kill him in a public execution. I couldn't do that so here he is with his life and a semblance of freedom but no future."

The two men sat lost in their own thoughts in the gathered darkness. Saratobi had already informed his household he would not be home and Iruka had no one waiting for him at his apartment so to them there was nothing else to do but keep Naruto safe with their own presence in his small home.

Morning came and Iruka fixed breakfast for three carrying Naruto's into the bedroom on a tray knowing the boy wouldn't be able to get to the table for it. Saratobi carried his in also so Iruka went back for his own. The threesome sat together on Naruto's lumpy mattress, which Saratobi found so uncomfortable he wondered how Naruto managed to get any sleep at all. As they ate they talked of mundane things like the students in Iruka's class. Naruto really liked hearing about the kids in this group because they were all his age. He knew that someday they'd be the ones surrounding him and beating the crap out of him but he still felt like he was getting to know them through Iruka. He knew the Uchiha was a stuck up little snot who thought that his birth entitled him to whatever he wanted. And he knew the Nara heir really confused Iruka. Never had he ever had a student answer half the questions on a test correctly and then write on it that he was tired and going to take a nap rather than finish the troublesome test. Naruto laughed when Iruka told them that.

"No fooling Iruka?" he chuckled.

"No fooling. He actually wrote the correct answers for questions one through nine but on question ten he wrote and I quote _This is troublesome. I'm tired so I'm going to take a nap now. Wake me when class ends._ Unquote." Iruka humphed in disgust. "He didn't write another word on any of the rest of the test and there were twenty more questions some of which I though would definitely interest him."

"Hmm. The Nara boy is just like his father." laughed Saratobi. "He was lazy like that also."

Naruto looked at Iruka, "How smart is he?"

Iruka threw up his hands. "I don't know. He won't ever finish anything for me to tell."

"Try giving him a puzzle test. Something fun but challenging. See if he can do it. If he can then give him another more difficult one. If he solves that one keep going until you find one he can't do. That should help you find a way to interest him in what you have to teach but I suspect he already knows the material you teach."

"Wha. . .no way. He's never awake to learn anything from me."

"How smart do you think he is Naruto?"

"Very. You said he answered a third of the questions. Were any of his answers wrong or incomplete?"

"Well no but still. . ."

"I think that means he knew all the right answers but didn't want to go to the time and effort of writing them all down for you since obviously you should know the answers as well. Nara doesn't see a need to toot his own horn like everyone else does so he won't do what he thinks isn't necessary."

Iruka looked thoughtful but said nothing as he carried their dirty dishes back into the kitchen and prepared to do the wash-up. He turned on the taps to fill the sinks but no water came out. "Hey Naruto is something wrong with the kitchen taps again?" he called out.

"No. They shut off the water last month to perform an emergency repair on the pipes and haven't turned it back on yet. I bring water up from the stream and heat it on the stove for washing the dishes. It should be in a bucket on the counter there."

"Why did you say nothing about this?" Saratobi asked the boy giving him an angry look.

"What's the point Jijii? They just wait until you aren't paying attention and shut it off again."

"Still they send a bill for me to pay for your water just as they do for your lights and heat. I pay those bills for you out of the orphan fund so you should have the benefit of their services."

"Stop paying them then since I'm not getting it and I'm tired of the have/have-not game. I'd rather just not have than to keep this up."

Getting suspicious, Saratobi stood up and went to a light switch on the wall and flipped it. The light stayed dark. Thinking that maybe the bulb was burnt out he tried every single switch in the place. None of the lights worked. "Iruka you didn't need to cook our breakfast this morning but did you cook anything last night?"

Iruka shook his head. "Naruto was out cold so I didn't see the point in cooking anything. Why?"

"Try the stove. I want to see if this child has any heat. I already know he has no water and no electricity but if he has no gas as well there will be hell to pay. And I may just have a way to get some concessions from that stupid council."

Iruka tried to light a burner on the gas stove but there was no gas to feed a flame so it was obviously off as well. "Hokage-sama, if he hasn't been able to cook his meals, what has he been eating and for how long has this been going on? And why did he just lie to me about heating water on the stove to wash his dishes?"

"I don't know but I think it's time we found out don't you?" He turned and for an old man he did a pretty smart march into Naruto's bedroom.

"Alright how long?" he asked.

"Well the lights have been off for about three months now and the gas for about six weeks. I told you already they shut the water off two weeks ago. I get by Jijii. I can manage."

"Naruto that isn't the point. These services were already paid for so you shouldn't have to be getting by as you put it."

"Jijii, I wish you wouldn't try so hard to act like I'm normal. That's like the Uchiha trying not to act like a stuck up ass or the Nara boy trying not to be lazy. I'm not normal. I'm paying for a very bad former life and until the debt is paid I will never be normal."

Saratobi just looked at him knowing there was no way he would change the boy's mind. He knew exactly why the boy was treated like this but the law he himself had passed prohibited him from telling the boy the truth just as it prevented any of his age mates from knowing as well. The younger generations of Konoha would believe the Demon had died in the battle this boy wasn't even allowed to know had occurred. He turned around and after giving Iruka a pat on the shoulder left the run-down apartment for his office. There was paperwork to do and that was a mistress that waited for all men and no man.

Hours later when he knew all the council members had reached the office he convened a meeting. They filed in and he waited until they were all seated around the table before going in to the meeting room himself. Hyuuga Hiashi sat at one end of the table as the lowest ranked member (only because he was the most recently seated) while Saratobi took the tie breaker seat at the head of the table. Technically he wasn't supposed to vote unless there was a tie vote. The council of thirteen held twelve regular seats but at the present time only four of those seats were occupied. The twelve seats were held by the clan heads of the Inuzuka family, the Aburame family, the Nara clan, the Akamichi clan, the Yamanaka clan, the Hyuuga clan, The Uchiha clan, Danzo, Homura, Omawi, Koharu and one unnamed chair.

The ninja families that held seats on the council didn't really put much faith in the council itself since most of them considered Saratobi to be a fair leader who would never act in a manner not in the best interest of the Leaf. As a result of this belief they usually didn't attend council sessions.

But three of the council seats were held by civilians who had no such faith and resented the fact that they still lived in a village run by ninjas when it was so clear to them that the ninjas needed them much more than they needed the ninjas. And those three head of houses never missed a day at the tower just in case a meeting should be called when they weren't there.

For that same reason Hyuuga Hiashi never missed a session also. The way he saw it, if he wasn't there then there was absolutely no chance of a tie vote giving Saratobi a vote in the proceedings. Usually the three civilian members of the council voted in lock step with each other but not always. Sometimes the youngest of the three, Omawi, would vote against a measure. He wasn't really a very bright man and if the proposition wasn't worded just right he could and often did misunderstand which way Homura and Koharu wished him to vote giving Hiashi the chance to tie the vote up and allowing Saratobi to cast the tie-breaking vote.

But today the civilians were in for a surprise as their counterparts filed in and took their seats. No one took the unnamed chair but that was because the heir to that chair was still a minor and sitting in for the Uchiha was the Copy-cat ninja himself since the council considered him to be a part of that clan through inheritance of the Uchiha eye. Since the massacre of the Uchiha clan the Copy-cat Nin had power-of-attorney over all things to do with the estate and the raising of the minor child left behind. Saratobi had threatened to burn all his beloved books if he missed this meeting and that was the only reason the lazy perverted jounin had shown up.

When Saratobi judged his civilian council members had been made uncomfortable enough he stood at his chair to address the assembly.

"I called this meeting because some discrepancies have come to my attention and they need to be dealt with. It is the responsibility of this council to care for every orphan in this town and that is what the trust-fund every ninja pays into every month is for. Is it not?"

"Yet I have learned today that this is not being done. Some of our orphans are going without basic utilities while other are given indulgences. This was not the agreement and it will stop with recompense coming from the guilty party to the neglected orphan."

Inuzuka Tsume stood. "Who has been indulged and who has been made to suffer for the indulgence?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has two places of residence with full utilities while Uzumaki Naruto has one place of residence with no utilities. This is not the fault of the utility companies. Each of them were lied to by certain members of this council who wished to favor the Uchiha boy while harming the Uzumaki lad. I did some checking today and found out he has been without electricity for three months because the power company was told he had moved into the old apartment of the Uchiha boy while said boy moved back into his ancestral home on the Uchiha estate. The Gas company was told the same thing when they shut off his gas six weeks ago and although Naruto himself is not aware of it the water company was told that lie two weeks ago when they shut off his water.

Homura stood and was recognized. "Who cares about the Demon boy? If the Uchiha child wants to have two residences then he should have his request granted. He has suffered enough due to this tragedy that his brother has forced upon him. He may need the apartment as a place of refuge from the strain of his native home but if he wants to be at home there is no reason why he should be denied that privilege either."

Koharu stood and was recognized. "I second that opinion. Let the Demon fend for itself. It did more damage to this town than the traitor to the Uchiha clan did."

"I thought you two would feel that way since yours are the signatures on the documents confirming the shut off notices to Naruto's apartment. But this action you have taken is clearly against the mandates you agreed to when the orphan fund was set up and so there will have to be penalties paid by the both of you. Now since it is clear that you think the Uchiha child deserves to have two residences you will abstain from the vote on the matter. The rest of you vote. The issue should Uchiha, at the tender age of ten, be granted two residences paid for monthly from the orphan fund?" Saratobi waited as each member of the council cast his vote. He could almost predict where the votes would come down. He knew the Copy-nin would vote yes because if they were already paying for it then he would assume that Sasuke did in fact want both places. Omawi would side with his civilian counter-parts and vote for the measure. The nin portion of the vote was what would kill the issue and call up the next vote. Where should the Uchiha child be forced to live? Sure enough the votes were tallied as they were cast on the board behind his head and it was four in favor and seven against.

"Alright now that brings up the next question which I suggest we table until next time when we have had a chance to actually talk to the young man himself to determine which place he would rather reside at."

Kakashi surprised Saratobi by standing. "I already know where he wants to live. He's been living at the main house of the Estate for several months now. He hated that apartment and if you go there you might find the utilities working but there won't be any sign of him living there." He sat back down.

"Are you positive of this Kakashi?"

Again the copy-nin stood. "Yes. I talked to him several times to make sure it was what he wanted to do and not something he felt obligated to do. He says he feels closer to his Mom there and he hated the apartment because there were no memories there. Nothing of them there. He's gone home and he wants to be there. I'm not sure it's in his best interest but it is where he wants to be."

Saratobi nodded as Kakashi took his seat. "Ok this time we vote on the orphan fund paying for the utilities on the main house of the Uchiha Estate." He knew this vote would show a united council as no one would want to deny the child power and heat. The hard vote was the one coming up but just as they had been denied a vote on the first issue they would be denied one on this last issue also. He read out the confirming vote and then brought up the last issue remaining.

"Since some members of the council have seen fit to act behind the backs of the rest of the council in diverting the funds of the orphan fund from going where they were designated, I invoke my right to restrict their right to vote on this issue." He pushed a lock out button on his console before continuing, "The vote I am calling for now is to restore unto me the power to discipline any and all members of the ninja community as I see fit for whatever acts they may or may not commit. You may still call for a trial but whether or not to discipline them will reside solely in my, or my future successors, hands regardless of said trail outcome. It will no longer be a matter for this council to decide. Vote now." Both Homura and Koharu tried to press their voting buttons but found they really were locked out of the vote. So they sat there giving both Saratobi and Omawi death glares. The vote surprised Saratobi when it came in with three abstaining (The unnamed chair is always counted as a vote abstained from) and everyone else in favor. He smiled. Now no longer would his ninjas disgrace him by beating a small defenseless child and getting away with it.

"Ok thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here today. That will be all. Meeting adjourned." Saratobi left the meeting room and went back to his office. His aide stood in the outer office knowing that anytime he came out of the council chambers happy others would come out steaming mad and part of his job was to keep them away from Saratobi at all cost. He wasn't the only one to sigh as Saratobi entered his private office. The Anbu guards stationed at the door did also.

Hyuuga Hiashi already knew it was futile to try and see the Hokage after a session but he was curious as to why the Old Man didn't use this flagrant abuse of their station to get the boy a better apartment. That seemed more logical to him but he knew Saratobi was a sly one and he wouldn't find out today so he went home to tend to his own council. He only wished he was as skillful in manipulating them as Saratobi was in manipulating the village council. Maybe he should ask for lesson in council manipulation? Nah. That would lower the Hokage's opinion of him and his family too much.

The rest of the clans left together in clumps once they were sure the civilians wouldn't go try to give Saratobi what for over this session. But Koharu and Homura were too busy ripping into Omawi to pay attention to the Hokage right now.

Alone in his office and once the council members had left Saratobi told his aide to get the Anbu commander in his office five minutes ago and then to assemble the jounin squad leaders and chunnin squad leaders after them.

Once the Anbu commander was in his office he handed the man a printout of the final issue voted on in council. Of course the printout showed the votes and the man's eyes widened when he realized that every member who considered themself to be a ninja had voted for the proclamation and one civilian had also. 

"Well, if I may be frank Hokage-sama . . .?" Saratobi motioned for him to continue. "I believe it should always have been your right to discipline us. We are tools under your command. If you have the right to throw our lives into a battle we know we can not win then when we do something stupid and foolish or just weak you should have the right to discipline us for that action. It should never been a council decision and I am only surprised to find that even part of our usefulness was in the hands of civilians."

"You do realize this means in all matters whether you agree with me or not?"

"Yes Sir Hokage-sama. I do."

"And you know how I feel about elite nins beating on defenseless civilians don't you?"

The commander got an evil grin. "You mean you're finally gonna do something the next time my Anbu don't show up where they're expected because they were trying to get a rise out of a certain orphan who never did a thing to them?"

Saratobi answered his grin with one of his own and a nod of the head. "You be sure to pass the message along to your troops that messing with that child is now punishable by me."

"Oh yes sir. Just please let me have a hand in it also. I've so wanted to bash their heads in."

"Well, I think the way it will break down is in three stages for Anbu. First offence they will lose their mask for a month and be put on extra training, detention copying honor scroll work, and household chores. You know. Things like scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush. Second offence they will no longer be Anbu at all and will find themselves placed on a rookie genin team. And that will be their last chance. If they screw up again then they will be kicked out of the ninja ranks altogether and removed from our village. So I figure that you can most definitely help with first time offenders."

"Why kick them out of the village? Why not just imprison them?"

"I thought about that but I decided that we have to do this in a way that none of them want to go and that the council will have no say over them at all such as when they get released from prison and under what circumstances that release might come. Right now the council has a say in the release and internment of every prisoner for every offence so if I tried to make beating Naruto a jailable offence they could just over rule me and then they'd be free and not under my thumb so they could do it again."

"I see. Yes third time offenders would love that aspect of the clause and they would definitely do it again. Forced exile sounds appropriate to me so long as we make it public."

"I'm glad you agree. Now I must see the Jounin captains and then the leaders of the chunnin squads as well." The Anbu commander left the office with a swirl of dust and the aide ushered in the jounin captains for their briefings. 

The captains kept their opinions to themselves knowing that the Hokage liked the boy the Demon was housed in and it really didn't matter what they thought or felt about the issue. The Demon Child now had a very high level protector from Nin attacks. 

The Chunnins were noisier but they were also younger and really hadn't much idea at all why they took part in those mobs. The kid had never done anything to them as far as they knew but now their fun time bonding issue was going to be labeled as a punishable offence.

Saratobi's good mood lasted all the way to his estate. He entered his estate to find his daughter-in-law had dinner waiting for him. He ordered Asuma to collect a plate for Naruto and take it to him. Asuma, his son and one of the Jounin, looked at him blankly for a minute.

"Why, Otousan? Has something happened to the boy?" asked his daughter-in-law.

"He was badly beaten by Anbu troops yesterday and it resulted in a carter being able to crush both his thigh bones for him. Right now he is laid up in his bed and unable to either protect himself or fix anything to eat. So Asuma you will take him a plate of this delicious food for his dinner."

Asuma's wife fixed a large plate of food and wrapped it to keep it warm while Asuma took it to the apartment where the boy was living. Both his wife and his father ignored his disgusted look as he took the plate and left the house.

Asuma was tempted to just dump the food in a can along the way and then go hang out at the bar for a bit with his fellow jounins but he knew his father would check with the Demon Brat in the morning and that Brat would have no reason to lie to the Old Fool. That would start another argument between the two of them which would upset his wife which would in turn make his life worse than it needed to be. So he took the plate to the low end of the village and made his way through the twisting streets to the run-down tenement the beast called home. No one else lived in the building but he was surprised by the fact that there were no lights on in the place at all as he made his way to the front door. 

He was just about to knock and let himself in when the door was opened for him. Iruka stood in the threshold ready to do battle with whoever was on the other side. The two men sized each other up until Asuma said, "Hokage-sama said to bring some food over for him. My wife is a good cook but if you're here he probably doesn't need it."

"Yes actually he does. Come in." Iruka stepped aside to let Asuma into the small place. Asuma saw candles setting about on various surfaces giving off a feeble amount of light that was just barely adequate for navigating the cramp place.

"What's with the candles," he muttered.

"Oh the council decided Naruto didn't need his utilities as much as the Uchiha needed to have two residences so they took from one to give to the other," Iruka answered off-handedly. "That's why Hokage-sama had you bring a plate of food here for him. Not only is he laid up in his bed but he couldn't make himself something to eat even if he wasn't."

"Why? The Uchiha child is only ten. Why would the council think a ten year old could or would care for two places?"

"I don't know but the council has always favored the Uchiha child. I guess they think that if they give him enough spoiling he'll forget his brother betrayed him. Stupid but that's life I guess." He indicated the plate and said, "Come on. I know Naruto will want to thank you for bringing this here for him."

"That's not necessary. I didn't do it for him."

Iruka just looked at him. "No duh. I know that and so will he but it doesn't change anything. Come on." So Asuma followed the Chunnin down the short hall to a door that hung unevenly from twisted hinges and waited as Iruka fought to get the door to open wide enough to permit them both entrance.

"Hey Naruto, dinner's here and you have a visitor," Iruka said brightly. He set the plate on a rickety stand next to the bed and helped Naruto into a sitting position so he could eat. Asuma was shocked at the boys appearance. His father had said the boy got beat up but damn. All he'd mentioned was broken legs. He'd said nothing about the rest of it. The boy was nothing but a mass of bruises from his hairline all the way to his toes which Asuma could see peeking through a hole in the tattered bedspread.

"What the Ell," he muttered.

"Oh this is nothing." Iruka had seen the shock in the Jounin's expression when he saw the battered blond. "Of course you or I would be dead from the abuse he took yesterday but Naruto is strong and he will survive this just fine." He positioned the plate on Naruto's lap and began helping the child eat the good food.

"This is good Thank-you Asuma-sama for bringing it to me. Please thank your father for remembering me and whoever made this meal. The food is some of the best I have tasted and though I know I am not worthy of this honor perhaps the day will arrive when I can repay this debt." Naruto did his best to bow low in servitude.

Asuma turned to go. His sense of right and wrong was definitely in turmoil. He'd always been told the demon brat had no manners. That it was really nothing more than a rude blot on the good name of his village but what he'd just seen did not match that. Maybe it was a genjutsu. Yeah that had to be it. This place was under a large genjutsu and if it had been daytime he'd have seen flaws in it. Next time he'd bring his friend Kurenai. She could see through any genjutsu with ease. They would save that stupid chunnin who didn't even seem to know what the monster was doing to him. He walked by the bar where he normally hung out with his friends deep in thought. It was only the shouts of his friends that brought him back to awareness of his surroundings and he turned and entered the bar. He sat down in the spot next to Kurenai and waited for the server to bring him his usual drink.

"So what's got you so pensive tonight?" asked Genma.

"Hokage-sama came home tonight and requested I take a plate of food to the Beast. I did and it has cast some kind of a glamour on that apartment."

Gai, a man that wore green spandex with golden-orange legwarmers, laughed and said, "A demon can cast genjutsu? Why would he bother?"

"Because he's stuck with the muscles of a normal ten year old child," said Hayate, another one of his jounin friends.

"How do you know he cast a glamour on the place? He hasn't been taught to use his chakra at all," added Kurenai. She was the only female in their group but she didn't take advantage of the situation. "It takes a lot of control of your chakra to cast genjutsus."

"Because no one could have gotten beat that badly and not be in the hospital. Nor could anyone live in such a dump and still be normal and polite. We all know Demons have no manners but I swear that boy showed me more respect than I have ever been given before in my life." Asuma was still trying to figure out how to break the jutsu and save Iruka from the Beast.

Kakashi said softly, "It's no jutsu. He does live in a dump. No heat, no lights and no running water. The Monster is polite and he does take worse beatings than I would give an enemy. As far as needing to be in a hospital, he probably does need to be but he isn't allowed there. The hospital is only for normal citizens of the Leaf. Not him."

"What?" exclaimed Gai. "Why not. He may house the Demon but what does that have to do with being allowed into the hospital?"

"Gai, why would he ever be trusted around normal sick people or people with injuries that would prevent them from being able to defend themselves against him? He's just a demon brat. Not a real person at all even if he does have the normal body of a ten year old boy," explained Genma.

Gai and Genma began to argue about the issue and Hayate tried to be the mediator leaving the other jounins to talk quietly together.

"How do you know so much about him, Kakashi?" asked Kurenai.

"I don't really. I've witnessed a few of these fights and reported to the council on the outcome. I know he has never once attempted in any way shape or form to fight back. All he ever does is try to run away but as soon as he's cornered he stops and just let's his pursuers do what they want. Even when what they want is not something any child should have to go through he just lays there and takes it." Kakashi stopped talking and closed his one visible eye as he remembered the first time he'd seen the boy getting raped. 

"Well, I don't care. I think whatever the monster gets is not enough to repay him for what we lost when he attacked us," said Asuma in a growl. "It just burns my gut that my father can't see him for what he is."

Kakashi just looked at Asuma in disgust for a minute. "I'd like to see you live through one tenth of what he's experienced. I think you'd be bawling like a little baby and left as nothing but a shattered shell." He downed his drink, slammed the glass onto the table and stood to leave. Asuma always ticked him off with his unwarranted hatred for the child. He turned away only to interrupted by Gai.

"Where you going my rival? The night is still young and we have much to discuss yet,"

"There is nothing I wish to discuss any further tonight. I have expressed my opinion and I have no doubt you will decide on a course of action all on your own," Kakashi said, walking away.

Hayate said, "What did you say now, Asuma?"

"Why do you always assume I said something?"

"Because you usually do," Hayate answered.

"Never mind about it Hayate. Asuma and Kakashi will never see eye to eye on anything so let it rest," said Kurenai. The gathered Jounins all silently thought it was because Asuma was being unfaithful to his wife and unfair to Kurenai more than anything else but they said nothing about it. All of them knew the two were having an affair but that Asuma would never leave his wife.

"Anyway, Gai, you said there was much to discuss. What did you mean?" asked Asuma, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group.

"Oh just the proclamation from the Hokage today and our course of action should we find it necessary to help our comrades."

"I see no reason to tell on our fellow nins," said Asuma.

"You wouldn't," snorted Genma.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you never do. Even if you witness the Demon getting beat you just ignore it and go on about your business. So you wouldn't see any need to tell on them since you act like you never see it," explained Hayate.

"Why should I bother? The sooner someone finally gets rid of that thing the sooner my father returns to normal and my brother's sacrifice has meaning. Because of that thing I have to raise my brother's child and I get to watch as my father fawns over the both of them. So tell me just why I should care what happens to that piece of filth."

"Because you are not a monster," said Kurenai in a soft voice.

"Well, you can choose to do as you see fit but I will not lift a finger to help that thing avoid his fate. No matter what happens that Monster is not worth my consideration or time." Asuma stood up and left the bar, knowing full well he would not get Kurenai to go with him to break the spell on the tenement where the beast resided. He strolled casually along the streets heading for the Saratobi Estate.

In the bar the remaining four jounins huddled together and discussed the behavior of their friends. "Somehow I think Kakashi has seen more than we know," said Gai in what was for him a quiet voice.

For once Genma agreed. "I think he saw the child undergo something no child should ever go through and even though we all know the monster resides in the child, the child is still just that. The body is the same as any normal child his age. The monster hasn't changed that fact at all."

"I wonder though just what he did see," said Kurenai.

Hayate had been quiet up until this point but now he spoke up. "He saw the boy get gang raped a few years ago. The council laughed when he reported the incident but it was the brutality of the attack that he can't accept. As far as he's concerned, that wasn't an attack against the Demon inside the child. It was an attack against the child himself."

"What do you mean," Gai asked through his tears. Gai always cried easily over any mention of someone else's emotions.

"Normally when the mobs attack the boy they call him Monster, Demon, Beast and things like that but this group were calling him by his human name. They knew they were attacking and raping a five year old boy. They used sharp instruments to slice his fingers to the bone. His palms had wounds showing they had pinned him down so that he couldn't get away as did his knees and feet. They were very sadistic and by the time they were done, the child's spine was exposed in several places. You could see the glistening white of his tailbone. No other child would have lived through that experience but Naruto did. And he earned Kakashi's respect because when Kakashi went to see if he still breathed, he lost his stomach from the mess but not once has the child ever said a word in complaint. He just accepts that people will treat him badly and lets them, whether they are calling him by his name or by what's inside him." Hayate picked up his glass and drained his drink around the lump in his throat. "Now I need to go lose the contents of my own stomach. I've said enough but know this. If I see any of you or any other nin even attempting to hurt that boy I will report you. He's suffered enough." Hayate vanished from the bar after dropping some ryo on the table.

Still at the table were Kurenai, Gai, and Genma. They looked at each other each lost in the thought of how any rational thinking human being could perform that act and yet cause so much damage they would leave exposed bones behind. It was unthinkable yet they had no reason to doubt what they had heard. Hayate wasn't known for lying and each of them could remember when Kakashi had withdrawn from them in discussions on the matter of the child. Up until about five years ago he had helped in all the planning of attacks against the Monster, though he had never taken any part in the carrying out of those plans. He had wanted payback for his dead Sensei just as much as the rest of the village had wanted vengeance for their lost loved ones but then one day he had just seemed to vanish. He was missing for about two weeks and no one could find him anywhere. When they had next seen him they had tried to discuss their plans to corner the Beast but he had left them all immediately. Over time they'd learned not to discuss their plans in front of him if they wanted to enjoy his company but none of them had known what had happened. Now they did. 

Kurenai looked down at her hands. Softly she said, "You know, when a woman gets raped it's bad. Normal to a degree but bad and all men are taught it's not acceptable behavior though few really know why. The woman knows she has consequences she must face for the act no matter whether she did something wrong or not. She will lose face and status and maybe her life as a result. Civilian women have it harder than kunoichi do because kunoichi are taught to deal with the mental battle that follows the act but civilian women are not. But I can't imagine anyone doing that to a five year old and the child surviving it. No wonder he doesn't fight back."

"What do you mean? I would think that action would force him like nothing else would," said Gai.

"That's because you don't understand just how painful rape really is, Gai. What that child went through is the most painful, degrading thing any human being can do to another. Not even the removal of his flesh would be worse than that. He doesn't fight back because if he does than they might subject him to that again and no matter what he has to go through he doesn't want to live through that again. But because of his prisoner he will live through it and he knows it." Kurenai hung her head ashamed of how many times she herself had used her ability to hold the boy in place so others could catch him. She drew a ragged breath and told her companions, "I don't know that I will turn in my fellow ninjas should I see them in the act of hurting him but I do know I will no longer take part. Good night gentlemen." She put some money down and left the bar.

The next morning found most of the resident ninja heading to their favorite hangouts to discuss the new decree that the council had passed placing them directly under the Hokage for any and all transgressions they might commit. Some didn't believe the council would allow the Hokage to punish them for anything they did while in the village while others saw it as the end of their fun. Some thought that the Hokage only thought he had the right to discipline them now but would find out the error of that thought the first time he tried.

Iruka had gone back to his place to get more clothes and to fix a simple but healthy breakfast for himself and Naruto. He planned to stop by the marketplace to buy new candles for the coming night but he never got that far. He was pulled into an alley where a blindfold was tied over his eyes before he was carted off to an undisclosed location. There he was tied to a chair without a word having been said by his captors.

Naruto was on his bed where Iruka had left him. Iruka had placed wards on the door and windows before he left to try and keep him safe while he was gone but they both knew there were stronger nins who could and would break the wards should they discover the Demon was alone and helpless. Sure enough within the hour there was someone pounding on his door hard enough to bend the hinges. It didn't take long before the mob was through the flimsy door and trashing his apartment. They pushed their way through and found him on his bed where they beat the crap out of him breaking bones and tearing muscles and tendons in their attempts to kill him. Some held knives or kunai which they used to stab at tender organs and someone got lucky and plunged their knife directly into his heart. When he gave his last shuddering breath a blinding white light radiated from his bloody body to encompass everyone in the room. His body rose from the dilapidated bed to hover in the air about three inches from it's rough surface where his blood had formed a sketchy outline of his small form. The crowd of Demon haters were caught by the white light, crying tears of remorse as they watched the ethereal wings emerge from his shoulder blades.

A soft voice filled the air. "Kami release them from their nightmare. Let the Village of the Leaf be free from the eternal darkness so that the Will of Fire may shine brightly forth to be a beacon of hope in this dark world." The words floated on the air flowing over the village. Every ear heard them though most didn't know who had spoken them. Slowly the glowing light reached outward to encompass the village just as it had the room where the child had met a knife in the heart, ending his existence in the world of mortal man. Every face there rose as the child floated through the roof of the apartment and then they poured back through the broken door of the shattered apartment where the villagers were gathered in the streets to witness this miracle. Everyone could see the glowing form of the child with sunshine for hair, love in his eyes and forgiveness in his smile. The child's form held out his arms. He then began to spin in the air sending his blinding white radiance to all corners of the village of Konoha no Sato. No one was spared and no corner was missed. Even in the prisons underground cells the people felt the passing of the child and many a person who had never shed a tear broke down in hysterical weeping.

Iruka felt his bonds fall away and leapt to his feet knowing full well that he was already too late but not wanting to take the chance that he might have been able to do something for the boy he had come to love as a brother.

The Hokage stepped from his office onto the balcony he used for public speeches and let his tears fell as he said good-bye to the child who had never stood a chance of having a full and normal life. 

Kakashi looked up from the monument where he knew the name of the bravest soul he'd ever met would never be engraved. His shoulders dropped as he recognized the form floating overhead."Ah Minato-sensei I am sorry. It seems I have failed again to protect that which was precious to me," he whispered with tears falling from his eyes.

All around town council members stepped from their homes and raised their eyes to the sky. Businessmen and shoppers crowded the streets and did the same. 

From the clouds two forms dropped slowly to meet the rising form of the little boy who had never known love but gave it freely to all he'd met. When the three were floating next to the child a collective gasp was heard from the village. Standing on his left was the form of their hero, the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato while to his right was the recognizable form of Kami in her most peaceful incarnation.

Minato spoke and his words filled the air. "When I stopped the demon, I did it for you. I gave unto you, the people I held to be most precious, that which I treasured above all else. I asked only that you care for him and keep him safe. That you see he had the hardest job and made the greatest sacrifice of us all. For your freedom he gave up his life without a murmur of protest or even any choice in the matter. I sacrificed him by sealing the greatest of all Kami's demons inside his small body, trusting his chakra to be strong enough to keep his soul safe. You have let me down and for this I am ashamed but my child has proven to be more than I ever was. He has forgiven you for all that you did to him. Accepting that you knew not what pain and torment you were visiting upon his soul. Never once did he give in to you or to the demon he houses. To both of you he said I forgive. And now I have come to take back my gift to you. I will take him home with me where he will know the love you denied him." Minato's voice faded away and all the people hung their heads in shame. Cries of "No" rebounded from the walls as Kami enveloped the two beings in her warm embrace.

She spoke. "Why should I not grant his request to relieve this child of his suffering? You have more torment you wish to expel upon this boy? Your hearts are still dark with anger and rage? Was not the act of brutal rape when he was five enough? Or the poisoned food? Tainted water? Tormented beatings that resulted in broken bones and torn muscles? Was all this not enough to quell your rage? Tell me why should I not take this boy home? Why should I not erase from this meager place the will of fire you all claim to have with such pride?"

She waited for a reply. It came from three mouths from three different locations. "Because I love the boy. I do not know how to live with him gone. If you take him, take me as well."

"You say you love him but how did you protect him before this event? You could not stand tall against your own to openly offer him your love and support and the protection it brings. You snuck your support to him while pretending he didn't exist when others could see. How will things be any different now?"

Kakashi stood with his head bowed at the monument. "I will give you my pitiful life in exchange for his. He has never done a thing to deserve his fate but I know I am not worthy of my status. You know I have never done the slightest thing to help him but I swear I will give you myself if you let him remain," he whispered.

Iruka stood outside the hideout where he'd been stashed and said, "I will welcome my brother of the heart with open arms to come to me at any time he wishes never pushing him away or denying him the companionship he deserves. No more will I hide what I am teaching him or what I am learning from him. And no longer will I let him stay in a place not fit for a rat to call home. He will have a home with me until the day comes when he no longer wishes it."

Outside the Hyuuga Compound main house a new voice was added to the bargain. "I will see to it that all the strictures placed against the boy to prevent him from having a normal life are removed and any who wish to hurt him shall face their crime just as if they had attacked anyone else from the leaf. Long have I felt what we, the council, did to this child was wrong but yet I let it stand because I was too weak to change it. Too weak to stand against my fellows. But now I will stand strong for what I know to be right upon the soul of my brother this is my promise." 

On the balcony of the Hokage Tower, Saratobi spoke out. "I know I too am guilty of only showing my love behind the backs of the village but now I believe it will change. Now I believe the Will of Fire housed in the hearts of my people will burn with love rather than hate. Now I believe we will heal and I believe he is the key to that healing. Minato, we did not deserve your gift to us. I tried to tell you that but you believed in me more than I did. I am sorry that I failed you and very glad you did not fail me or the village you loved so deeply. Naruto, I am so very proud of you. I always told you that you were the best of us but you never believed me. I'm sorry I could not make you see the good I saw every time I looked at you. Know peace now Naruto. Your days of suffering are at an end and now you are free."

Minato wrapped his arms around his son and together the three ethereal being began to spin faster and faster. The white light spun out and spread upon the ground. It radiated through the forest surrounding the Hidden Village and made it's way to all points of the known world. The heat of the light was felt in the Hidden Villages of the Sand, Rock, Rain and Grass. People in all the elemental countries raised their eyes to the sky wondering what that strange feeling was but only in Konoha did they understand it to be the love of a young child.

When the light disappeared so did the three beings. Iruka raced to Naruto's apartment and pushed his way through the crowd of stupefied peasants blocking his way. On the bed where he'd been killed was Naruto. His small body lying limp and cold with the black handle of the death dealer still protruding from his heart. The casts that encased his legs from the hips down looked as if they weighed more than he did but Iruka swallowed his tears as he lifted the child in his arms and carried him from the ruins of his home. The crowd parted as he made his way to the hospital where the child would be officially pronounced dead, cleaned and prepared for burial if the council decided he could be buried.

The crowd pressed him behind Iruka as he was joined by the only other two people in the whole village who had ever seen that he was just a child like any other. Kakashi took up a position on his right while Saratobi fell in step to his left. At the hospital the crowd filled the waiting room and flowed out the doors congesting the street with the overflow. But the three men did not stop until they laid the body on the cold gurney for the final examination.

The best of the doctors in the hospital stepped forward to do it himself. A child chosen by Kami herself deserved no less than the best he could offer. If this child who housed a demon was important enough to Kami for her to show herself when coming to claim him than who was he to deny the child a proper rite of passage. He took notes on the condition of the body making sure to note each wound's depth and length. Then he removed the knife from the child's heart and as he measured the length of the blade he was surprised to hear gasping from his nurses. He glanced up ready to chastise them for inappropriate behavior when he saw the trickle of blood coming from the numerous wounds. He reached forward and placed his fingers to the child's throat and sure enough there was a pulse. "He's alive," He breathed, the words so faint they didn't pass his mask.

"Get him into surgery now," he shouted. Grabbing the edge of the gurney he set off at a run pulling the rolling bed along behind him. "Call in the emergency staff. Stat! Kami has given us another chance and I will not fail her. Move it!" he bellowed.

In the waiting room the people wondered what was going on. Only the three men who had brought the child forward and laid him upon the gurney had heard what the doctor had said. Their breath was frozen in their throats as they waited for someone to say it was a trick. Medical staff poured into the operating room and came out in shock. Some with blood on their outfits, others just awed. Finally one of the nurses came over to the three men and said, "He's alive. We don't know how but when the doctor removed the knife from his. . .his he. . .his heart, it started beating again, pumping blood through his body and causing his wounds to bleed anew. We'll have to work fast but there is a chance he will make a full recovery. Kami has granted the wish that we be given a second chance and we will do all that we can not to waste it. Excuse me but I must begin filling out the paperwork so the doctor can have access to whatever he needs as he needs it."

Iruka and Kakashi both collapsed to their knees in shock but Saratobi only took a deep breath before saying softly, "Thank you Kami, Minato and even you Naruto. I will not let you down this time." He straightened his spine and then lifted his companions back to their feet.

"We also have much to do. This time the boy will be treated right. Iruka, go file the paperwork that will allow him into your class and make arrangements for everything he will need to catch up to his agemates. I don't care if he holds them all back but they will not graduate before him leaving him open to more mocking and taunts. Kakashi, grab whoever you need and go find the boy a decent place to live. Furnish it with whatever is necessary for him to live comfortably and don't forget to get him new clothes. Preferably ones that fit him. I will go talk to the council members and get these stupid restrictive laws annulled."

As he finished speaking all three men vanished in a poof of smoke to reappear outside the hospital and beyond the mass of villagers waiting for the official notice of death to be given. There they separated as each went a different way. Kakashi to Sasuke's old apartment to see what if anything he would need to purchase in order for Naruto to live there, Iruka to the academy where he feverishly began filling out paperwork to get Naruto admitted to the class and Saratobi to the Tower where he called the council into session. 

The council members filed into the chamber looking as if they'd just been awakened from a long winter's nap they didn't remember having decided to take. On the reader board were each of the decrees they had passed restricting the movements and freedoms of the child. Tears fell again as they read what they had done. Even Danzo could not hide his dismay at what he'd taken part in. They had all but demanded the child be a victim for anyone no matter what the crime they had wanted to commit against him. And the final decree made them all shudder as they read that there was to be no punishment given no matter what unless the child fought back in which case he would be the one punished in order to teach him not to let his natural tendency for aggression overrule another's weakness.

Silently they took their seats at the table and waited for Saratobi to speak. "We will abolish these rules today. Kami has granted us a second chance with Minato's Gift and I will not have it wasted with more bad conduct. All in favor of treating the child like the Hero he is, say aye and push the correct button on your console." One by one the stupid rules were abolished and Naruto was set free to be who he was meant to be. There was no discussion and no dissension in the votes. Every single council member voted to abolish those stupid rules.

"I want to make one more thing clear to all of you. No more will I hear about the favoring of one orphan over another or of any child over another whether it be two children from different houses or two children from the same houses. Stupid rules that stunt the growth of our children and prevent them from reaching their maximum potential will be abolished, Hiashi. No more placing undue pressure on innocent children by giving them impossibly heavy burdens to bear simply because we are afraid of what the future holds for them or we seek to jealously keep what we have obtained for ourselves only. And no longer will one child stand ahead of another simply because they were born with a bloodline gift we think is special. We have seen today that all children no matter who they are born are precious to Kami. Let us feel and act the same way." He waited for the outcry that would normally have come at the end of that kind of speech but it didn't come.

One by one council members bowed their heads in submission to the words of the Hokage. They stood and began to make their way quietly from the room but the Hokage started speaking again and they paused. "Should Naruto survive his injuries this day, which I have every reason to believe he will, it will take all of us working together to change the attitude of this village. Today everyone is in shock from seeing the revelation that Kami, our Goddess, is really aware of us and of what we do and think. But by tomorrow the shock will have started to wear off and we will not only need to work on our own attitudes but be on guard for acts contrary to her wishes. She can and will destroy us if we fail her again. Of this I have no doubt. If you need proof of my words I suggest you go speak to her monks at the temple or just go to the library and read the scrolls of the last time she made a physical appearance to the populace."

The council filed out thinking over what they'd just learned but for some the effect of the white light was already wearing off. Danzo determined to read up on Kami. His desire for a weapon of mass destruction that would force the retirement of the present Hokage allowing him to assume the seat of power was too strong a pull for him to ignore. He cared for no man or beast unless they could prove beneficial in his bid for power and more power. He still wanted to harness Naruto's powerful prisoner as a weapon but now he found himself wondering if it was possible for him to also capture Kami's essence into a weapon of power. Maybe he could even capture Minato's spirit and harness it into some type of strong weapon. With the three of them he'd be unstoppable he thought in the deep recesses of his mind as he made his way back to the headquarters of his secret organization called ROOT.

The crowd was still gathered in front of the hospital as Hiashi passed by on his way back to the Hyuuga compound. At the gates his daughters stood with their cousin between them. All three looked puzzled and he stopped in front of them. "What is it children?"

"What is happening Otousan? Why is everyone gathered at the hospital?" spoke Hinata, his eldest child and until now most disregarded.

"Konoha almost lost a very precious person today. It is possible that we will still suffer the loss and everyone is waiting to hear whether or not we will. It will be a terrible thing if we do but this event has opened our eyes to the consequences we do not always want to see."

"What do you mean?" asked Neji, his nephew.

"Sometimes we close our eyes to what we do not wish to see because going with the flow is easier than doing what we know to be right. When we do that, we can pretend it did not have any consequences for us but this is not true. Everyone in this village except for the very youngest are guilty of such behavior when it comes to this person."

"You mean the blond boy, Otousan? The one who does not go to school or the academy and wears the clothes that are too big for him? That no child ever approaches and that we all try very hard not to see lest everyone run off after him?" asked Hinata in her quiet voice.

"Yes, Hinata, I do. We have all disregarded his needs, seeing him as something he was not and allowing others to pick on him and bully him while scolding and punishing him if he dared to defend himself. For this, Kami will punish us if he doesn't survive this day and we will deserve our destruction as that is precisely what we tried to do to him. Today you children saw an Angel and a Goddess. Never forget what you saw. Never forget what you heard." 

He moved around his children and entered the main house of the compound. A branch member approached and he instructed that his family council be gathered. Then he locked himself away behind closed doors determined to do to the Hyuuga what he knew needed to be done and had known needed to be done from the day his brother had been sealed. He would do away with the branch and main member status in his family. Today he would remind them that they were all one family and all could equally lose their eyes in a battle. No one should suffer the curse mark unless all were willing to wear it. It had been designed with the intention of keeping their bloodline safe from capture and manipulation and main house family members were just as vulnerable as branch house family members were. In fact, because of their practice of placing the seal on the branch house, main house members were more vulnerable to capture than ever before. As each member entered the chambers he noted the wondering look in many an eye. Some were still shedding tears. Before he could say anything Hinata opened the chamber doors. She kept her head lowered knowing that most of the council did not like her and that what she was doing was considered very rude.

"Excuse me, Otousan, for interrupting your important meeting but word has arrived from the hospital and I thought you would want to know." She spoke quietly but amazingly she did not stutter. One of the things that had always led the council to believe her weak was her soft gentle voice that was hard for the elders to hear. This time however Hiashi did not chastise her for it but asked instead for the news.

"The Hospital sends word that Naruto is out of surgery and has been moved to a recovery room. They say that, though he is not out of the woods yet, they do expect him to make a full recovery. She got a puzzled look on here face as she said, "They said something I do not understand though."

"It does not surprise me that someone has said something you do not understand but tell us anyway for we are much smarter than you?"said one of the elders not noticing Hiashi's frown at the blatant disrespect shown to his daughter and heir.

"I will remind this council that Hinata may be soft and gentle but she is still my heir and will be treated with respect. She is not as stupid as you would like to believe since her marks at the academy are just as high as Neji's ever were and higher than your own if I remember correctly, Suma." Hiashi spoke coldly but showed Hinata his support by moving to stand beside her as Suma flushed in discomfort. "We will speak more on that little outburst after we have heard what Hinata has come to tell us. What did they say Daughter?"

"Well, they said to spread the word that the child will be guarded at all times while he is in recovery and that any attempt to further harm him will result in arrests and imprisonment. Why would anyone seek to injure him more? He is already in danger of dying so I do not understand."

Hiashi bent down so he was on level with Hinata. "Daughter remember what I told you outside? Well this is what I was talking about. That child has never been treated right by this village and so now that Kami has shown us just how badly we have behaved some are stepping forward to make sure it ends." He gave Hinata a hug which greatly surprised her before releasing her from his grasp. "Now I must have this meeting so go and spread the word to all of our family and I will see you later." 

Hinata bowed low in respect and backed out of the room. As she closed the doors she heard her father addressing the outspoken councilwoman who had dared to show her the disrespect she was used to. "Don't you ever speak to her that way again, Suma. Or any of the rest of you. Hinata has a soft voice. This is not something she can will to change or alter. It is her voice and only her voice. Kami has graced our town with a vision of her presence to give us a chance to correct the error of our ways and I for one do not intend to disregard her wishes. I have no wish to see my family destroyed where we stand because we were too full of pride to change our ways. Today we have seen that the child we branded as the lowest of the low, the weakest of the weak, is actually the strongest of us all. That he is actually of a standing much higher than our own, not only by who claims him as son but also by who acknowledged his goodness of spirit. This has caused me to look closer at how we have divided our own family, choosing to praise some while disregarding others for one reason or another. It will stop today. No longer will we brand only those of the lower house with the caged bird seal. The seal will be used as it was intended to be used or it will be done away with. I am not asking for your opinion. I am stating a truth. This will be done. Later, after the seal has been altered so that it can no longer be used to punish an offending member, I myself will brand both my daughters to keep the secret of the Hyuuga house safe from predators but this branding will not make them members of the branch house any more than my nephew is. My brother gave his life for mine that I might live long enough to change our ways. Always before I shied away from making this necessary change but no longer. It will be done. I myself will see to the branding of every person in this clan and when each of us bears the mark, the keeper of the technique will apply it to my own forehead."

"But why," sputtered one elder, putting a hand to his unblemished forehead.

"Because the seal was designed to keep our eyes safe. It was not designed to be an indicator of rank and therebyallowing our enemies to know exactly who to target for capture and interrogation. Yet, that is exactly how we have used it. But more importantlywe have chosen to use it as a means of punishing those who wish to follow a different path than the one we have chosen for them. I will no longer do this. The seal will no longer be used to punish or denigrate us. We are all family and most of us share very close ties with the branch house. I will welcome my nephew and his mother to move back into the main house where my brother and I grew up." He paused and then said, "That is all. You may go now."

He then went off to find his children and explained to them what was going to happen. Hinata just gave her gentle smile and clutched at Neji's hand. Neji just stared, not understanding that his distinction wasto be ended,while Hanabi threw a temper tantrum. All her life she had been told she was better than those who wore the seal and now her father was saying she herself would wear it. It wasn't fair and she didn't like it one little bit.

All across the village similar changes were taking place as Naruto lay sleeping in the hospital bed. His small frame was guarded by no less than four people positioned around the room and at least eight more in the hallway outside the room. One thing was sure. The Hidden Village of Konoha would not forget the special visitors they had seen.

As evening fell over the village people went home and fell to their knees offering special thanks to Kami for her grace and wisdom, promising to do better to follow her ways and to always guard and hold her children above reproach. One by one the houses fell dark as the villagers went to sleep. On the rooftops Anbu stood guard but they watched no place as closely as they watched the hospital for suspicious activity. No one would be allowed to get past them to get into the child's room and hurt him ever again.

Danzo crawled into his bed where the young girl lay bound and gagged waiting for him. He was in the process of breaking her spirit in order to turn her family gift to his own advantage. Though it was not a major gift it was something he could use. Before he could even touch her a hand plunged a silvery blade through his back and straight into his heart. As Danzo collapsed, the girl was removed from the bed and hustled out of the room. The shadow that had wielded the blade whispered in Danzo's ear, "No more will you torment the children of Konoha," in a ghostly soft voice. A quick strike sliced his neck from one side to the other neatly penetrating through his airway and preventing any noise he might choose to make as his genitals were neatly sliced from his body and placed into his mouth for all to see why he had met his death that night. 

While Danzo was being executed, another of the group painted a message on the wall above his bed leaving no doubt that he would be the first of many if Konoha did not heed the warning of Kami. Then they fled into the night with noone except the small girl any the wiser as to what they had done for her. They dropped her off on the steps of the home and after knocking hid in the shadows to be sure she found a safe bed for the night. The Home's Matron let the child in and her saviors vanished as if they had never been there at all, never to be seen again. Only she would ever know they had long since passed from the mortal realm.

**Author Note: Well this tale is finished. I hope you found it to be enjoyable even though some scenes were extremely hard for me to write (and very disgusting) they needed to be there for believability sake. As always send in your review. Constructive criticism is always welcome as writing is much more enjoyable than housework.**


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